Burnt Wick

First Look

•Quick Word of Warning for anyone that is reading this book/ has it saved. I will be redoing the chapter names and editing previous chapters (spelling mistakes, capital letters, basic English ;-;) over the next couple of weeks so if you get a large amount of update notifications from this book, that is why.  Unfortunately it isn't a bulk of chapters in one.
Enjoy!

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September has rolled around. It's the evening before our sixth or seventh challenge and here I am in the gymnasium the night before getting my shit rocked.

Another punch is thrown to my side hits right in target, the knuckles of the man's hand digs deep in between the ribs and I can't help the breath of air leaving me. I stumble but dodge the next one, aimed for my head, and in turn go for a low blow. "Gods Melgren!" Liam falls to the ground while I stay quick on my feet, slinging myself around to meet his crouched form from behind, kicking him forward and locking his hands, twisted behind his back. I force his face into the mat. "That punch hurt you know. Thought I wouldn't give the same back?" Counting in my head, I let myself hit three before releasing him, immediately seeing his body relax from the forced tension.

He pushes himself up to stand, wringing out his wrists in a form of comfort from the previous position. "Remind me why we are doing this after curfew hours?" I walked over to our water bottles and chuck one at him. "So I can say I killed a relic kid for getting too ballsy with me." I take a swig, he just laughs. "You know some people wouldn't be happy about that you know. Like our wing leaders." He walks over, placing his bottle down where it was before. "I know it's why I asked to do this time of day, I can't be around anyone without someone being threatened." I take another swig of the water before doing the same. I point the bottle at him. "It's a miracle you're still alive." He just laughs again, walking back over to the mat. We've been at this for two hours now, one after the other just hitting our backs to the mats. Metaphorically.

"I never have asked why you've got such a problem with being around our lot." "Thought the last name would give it away." I give him a pointed look as we step back onto the match, throwing kicks and punches trying to knock the other down. Since the dragons class with Professor Kaori, Liam began talking with me more in lessons, bothering me until I did talk to him. That turned into asking him to be my sparring partner so I could take some stress he gave me out on him and from there, every other evening, we've been out over curfew in the gymnasium. I've always seen him side glance at me, but until now he's never actually asked.

"I didn't lie it is to do with my last name," I take a swing and miss as he side steps me. "My father doesn't like me hanging around kids from the rebellion, it goes against everything he's accomplished." 'You think marking them is too harsh? I'm just letting them off easier than I should.' I take a breath as my leg contacts the dip of his waist, and he stumbles to the side. "And he has eyes everywhere." 'You touch them, means you care for them. Do you care for them!? Is that the sort of idiot I've raised!?' I take a blow to the shoulder as he pushes me back with a shove, making me tumble onto the ground. Before I can even get up, he's trapped me between his legs, his arm pressing down on my throat. He stared me down as I scratch at his arm. "So you hate us because your dad does?" ' you even think about it again and I'll punish you, just as I have them!' I reach behind his head and pinch the sensitive skin on his neck. He jolts from the action and I wrap my legs around him and flip us over, my arm now pushing down on his throat. "There are consequences to every action I take, but you lot don't seem to get that and keep trying to integrate yourselves in my life."

He pushes his bottom half up and I tumble off to the side, stomach to the mat. I go to lift my head up but it's pushed back down into the mat with force. A knees placed in the small of my back and I cringe at the discomfort turning into pain as he applies more of his weight. "Urgh." I feel the shift as he bring his head closer to the back of mine. "Seems you're doing a pretty bad job at that yourself." I headbutt him and hear him curse slightly before pushing his whole body weight into my back. "Ah fuck!Bloody  gods!" I struggle as he counts to three, now further back just in case, before letting me go. "You talk about consequences as if him sending all of us to the riders quadrant isn't enough." And all the other things he's inflicted on everyone.